Field of the Invention
The present invention involves an adhesive label that contains an inherently shrinkable polymeric film and a related labeled container. The label is useful in various labeling applications and especially in adhesive labeling applications involving reusable and recyclable containers.
Description of the Related Art
Labels are applied to numerous articles of commerce to convey information regarding a manufacturer and a product. Articles of commerce include plastic, paper, metal and glass containers for a multitude of consumer and industrial products such as for example bottled beverage industry products. A particularly demanding labeling application is for reusable and recyclable beverage bottles, especially for the bottled beer industry, where the label requirements generally include high clarity visual aesthetics, abrasion resistance during processing and handling of beverage bottles, resistance to any deleterious effects due to moisture during cold storage or a pasteurization process, and removability of the label from the bottle during a washing process in a warm or hot washing fluid such as for example a 50 to 90° C. aqueous caustic solution where the removed label does not clog the washing process equipment. The washing process allows the washed bottle to consequently be reused or recycled. The washed bottle offers the flexibility of being refilled and relabeled for any number of beverage products. Labels currently employed for reusable and recyclable beverage bottles include paper labels and stretched, thermally shrinkable polymeric labels. Paper labels lack high clarity visual aesthetics. Stretched, thermally shrinkable polymeric labels upon removal tend to curl up tightly into a needle shape which can clog washing process equipment. Labels meeting the requirements for the reusable and recyclable bottled beverage industry are desirable.